Antiwar/Antimilitarism

"Who are the true patriots of today? Not the flag-wrapped politicians who send other people’s children off to be killed or disabled in wars to make the world safe for big businesses," writes Bill Quigley, before suggesting 12 people we should celebrate on Independence Day.

One of Quigley's "true patriots" is Joy First of Mt. Horeb, who's active with WNPJ member groups Pledge of Resistance and WI Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars. Quigley lauds Joy as a "Wisconsin grandmother of five who has been arrested over 30 times for protesting against the Iraq invasion, the war in Afghanistan, the US drone assassinations."

On May 28, five nonviolent activists attempted to deliver an indictment for war crimes to Volk Field Commander Colonel Dave Romuald. They walked peacefully onto the base with the indictment in hand, and asked for a meeting with Colonel Romauld. But they were promptly arrested, taken to the Juneau County jail in handcuffs, and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing. They were released several hours later after processing.

Arrested were Bonnie Block, Madison; Joyce Ellwanger, Milwaukee; Joy First, Mt. Horeb; Mary Beth Schlagheck, Windsor, and Kathy Walsh, Madison. Between the five women, they have 25 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren that motivate them in this work. (Click here to read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's coverage of the protest.)

They are all members of the Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars and they have vigiled at the gates of Volk Field monthly since December of 2011. The nonviolent solemn vigils are a way to remember the innocent lives that have been lost as a result of drone warfare.

WNPJ member group Voices for Creative Nonviolence is planning a 200-mile walk and speaking tour to protest drone warfare.

From June 8 to 23, walkers will trek from the Rock Island Arsenal (where launch mechanisms and bomb components are manufactured) to the Iowa Air National Guard’s 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines, the proposed site of a new command center where drones can be remotely-piloted to fly over other countries.

Voices for Creative Nonviolence is seeking walkers, places to stay and groups interested in hosting a presentation. The walkers will include Voices co-coordinator and activist Brian Terrell, of Maloy, IA, who will have just completed 6 months in prison for nonviolent civil resistance at a drone base, and Kathy Kelly, who will have just returned from Afghanistan, where U.S. drones have tragically impacted so many lives.

A bill introduced by state Representatives Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva), David Craig (R-Town of Vernon), Frederick Kessler (D-Milwaukee) and Chris Taylor (D-Madison) would prohibit law enforcement and individuals from using drones without a warrant, except in special circumstances. It would also bar the private use of drones equipped with video or audio equipment, or with a weapon.

By Brian Terrell, a Catholic Worker and Co-Coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, a WNPJ member group

In the final weeks of a six month prison sentence for protesting remote control murder by drones, specifically from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, I can only reflect on my time of captivity in light of the crimes that brought me here. In these ominous times, it is America’s officials and judges and not the anarchists who exhibit the most flagrant contempt for the rule of law and it is due to the malfeasance of these that I owe the distinction of this sabbatical.

WNPJ member group the Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, along with Madison Pledge of Resistance, are helping to circulate the following sign-on letter, initiated by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (NCNR), to CIA Director John Brennan regarding U.S. drone warfare.

Individuals and those representing organizations can add their names by emailing Max at mobuszewski@verizon.net